Rukmi ka Abhimaan aur uska Apmaan

Rukmi Vidarbh ke jyeshth rajkumar the, mahaan nagri Kundin ke shaasak, aur unka abhimaan unki shakti jitna hi vishaal tha. Jab unki sundar behen Rukmini vivaah yogya huin, to Rukmi ne unka vivaah apne mitra Chediraj Shishupal se tay kar diya — mahatvaakaanksha ka gathbandhan, Rukmini ki apni ichchha aur unke maata-pita ki ichchha ke viruddh, jo bilkul alag var chaahte the: Dwarka ke Krishna.

Rukmini apne hriday ke chunaav ko bina lade na chhodtin. Unhone ek vishvast brahman ko patra saunpa aur use Dwarka daudaaya. "He Krishna," unhone likha, "mera bhaai mujhe Shishupal ko bali-pashu ki tarah deta hai. Yadi tummein koi daya hai, to aao aur mujhe apni banaao. Vivaah ki praatah main nagar ke baahar devi Ambika ke mandir jaaoongi. Mujhe vahin se har lo, anyatha main praan de doongi." Krishna ne patra padha aur kshan bhar na hichke. Balram aur apni sena ke saath ve Kundin ki or daude.

Niyat praatah Rukmini dulhan ke roop mein sajeen, apni maataon aur sevikaon ke saath Ambika mandir shobhaayaatra mein gayin. Jaise hi ve nikleen, Krishna prateeksha kar rahe the. Kshan bhar mein unhone unhein apne rath par utha liya — raakshas vivaah, yoddha ka haran — aur ghode Dwarka ki or garje, vivaah ke atithiyon ko haahaakaar mein chhodkar.

Jarasandh, Shishupal aur rajaon ka samooh peechha karne laga, par Balram ki Yadav sena ne unhein bhoose ki tarah titar-bitar kar diya. Keval ek vyakti na lauta: Rukmi. Unhone bhayankar pratigya ki thi — ki jab tak Krishna ka vadh na kar lein, Kundin na lautenge. Akele unhone rath ka peechha kiya, baan barsaate aur gaaliyaan dete hue.

Krishna ruke, rath se utre, aur haath mein talwaar lekar saamna kiya. Yah koi takkar na thi. Kshanon mein Rukmi nihatthe aur asahaay pade the, aur Krishna uthi talwaar ke saath un par khade the. Badhte bhay se dekhti Rukmini Krishna ke charanon mein gir padeen, bhaai ke praanon ki bheekh maangti huin. Krishna vadh se to maan gaye — par dand se nahin. Rukmi ke baal pakadkar unhone talwaar se jagah-jagah kaat daale, unka sir, daadhi aur moonchhein bhaddi aakriti mein moond deen. Kshatriya ke liye, jiska sammaan uske roop mein basta hai, yah mrityu se bhi bada apmaan tha. Phir unhone vikrit rajkumar ko baandha aur vijay-chihn ki tarah apne hi rath se baandh diya.

Peechha ek bhagdad ban gaya tha. Jarasandh ka mahaan gathbandhan — satrah raja jinhone kabhi Mathura ko ghera tha — Yadav sena ke saamne tootkar bhaage, aur apmaanit var Shishupal ne apna haathi lajja se moda aur bina vivaah ghar laut gaya. Krishna ke paas apne aasan se Rukmini yuddhbhoomi ko behte dekhti raheen aur unka hriday vijay aur bhay ke beech phata raha, kyunki ve apne bhaai ki pratigya jaanti thin. Rukmi akele aage badha, uska rath bhaagte mitron se aage nikal gaya, uska dhanush tana, uska mukh us gwaale ke viruddh gaaliyon se bhara jisne uski behen churaai thi. Krishna, jinhone rajaon ke prati anant dhairya dikhaaya tha, apni navvadhu ke sammaan par phenke gaye apmaanon ke prati koi dhairya na dikhaaya; unhone rath roka, talwaar lekar utre, aur kruddh rajkumar ka saamna kiya. Jo hua vah yuddh na tha, ek shiksha thi — vah shiksha jo har abhimaani yoddha theek ek baar seekhta hai.

Usi kshan Balram aaye aur drishya dekha. Unka dhaarmik krodh Rukmi par nahin, Krishna par toota. "Yah ghrinit hai!" ve garje. "Bandhu ko is prakaar vikrit karna vadh ke samaan hai, aur yah hamaare kul ki har parampara ke viruddh hai. Vah ab hamaara behnoi hai — use chhodo!" Balram ne swayam Rukmi ke bandhan kaate, aur phir roti Rukmini ki or mudkar yoddha-jeevan ke gahan darshan se unhein saantvana di: ki yuddh mein bhaai bhi shatru ban sakta hai, ki sabhi praani apne karmon ka phal bhogte hain, aur ki unhein un parinaamon par shok na karna chaahiye jo unke bhaai ne arjit kiye the.

Rukmi langdaate hue chale gaye, unka sir uphaas, unka abhimaan dhvast. Apni pratigya se bandhe ve Kundin mein pravesh na kar sake, atah unhone naya nagar Bhojkat basaaya aur vahaan shaasan kiya — varsh dar varsh apne apmaan ka vish paalte hue. Unhone apni putri ka vivaah Krishna ke hi parivaar mein karaaya, phir bhi apni ghrina na chhodi.

Varshon baad, Bhojkat ke vivaah-utsavon mein Rukmi ka paka ghaav ek antim baar foota. Mitra rajaon ke uksaave par Balram ko dyoot ki chunauti dekar unhone khuleaam chhal kiya aur bade bhaai ki haar ka uphaas kiya. Balram ka dhairya, jo ek baar pehle Rukmi ke kaaran tana tha, toot gaya. Ve uthe, apni gada uthaai, aur baithe hue Rukmi ka vadh kar diya. Krishna, jo dekh rahe the, na harshit hue na virodh kiya — kyunki jab paarivaarik bandhan nyaay ko hi maun kar dein, to Bhagwan bhi kya kahein? Rukmi ki katha jaise honi thi vaise samaapt hui: jis vyakti ne upchaar par apmaan chuna, vah us ghrina se nasht hua jise usne chhodne se inkaar kiya tha.